Continuing China's Panda Diplomacy... Sending a Pair of Pandas to Spain

Male Jinshi (金喜) and Female Juui (茱萸) Traveling to Spain

China has decided to send a new pair of giant pandas to Spain.

Male panda Jinshi going to Spain. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to a report by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, the China Wildlife Conservation Association announced on the 24th that a male panda named Jinxi and a female panda named Juyu, both at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Base, will depart for the Madrid Zoo in Spain on the 29th.

Jinxi and Juyu were born on September 1 and October 25, 2020, respectively. After arriving in Spain, they will live at the Madrid Zoo for 10 years.

The two countries have maintained a friendly relationship through pandas for over 40 years since 1978. Earlier last month, three baby pandas born in Spain (Jurina, Juju, and Yuyu) returned to China along with their parents, Bingxing and Huazhuiba.

China practices "panda diplomacy," sending pandas as gifts or loans to countries with which it has friendly relations. It is also known that China plans to continue its "panda diplomacy" with the United States, which was at risk of ending due to deteriorating China-US relations.

In February, China announced it would send a pair of pandas to San Diego, USA, in early summer this year, and it has also revealed plans to send another pair to San Francisco next year.